everybody wants to rule the world
by milk ghost
Summary: Or that one where Lucy and Gray start a matchmaking business, and things do not go as planned. —natsu/lucy, gray/juvia


**notes: **so i'm actually supposed to be working on this thing for senbai x cup ramen, but i've had this idea for a while, and i went back and edited 'tete-a-tete' where gray has a talk with nastu about lucy, and yeah. a while as in like, a year. anyway it sounded fun.  
**other: **have any prompts or requests? find me on tumblr! the link's on my profile. **  
**

**summary: **Lucy and Gray start a matchmaking business together. Only, things backfire and go completely sideways. **  
****pairings: **natsu/lucy, gray/juvia, erza/jellal, levy/gajeel, other pairings to be decided**  
disclaimer:** own nothing

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_who cares if we disagree? you are not me. who made you king of _

_anything?_

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**i.**

Gray Fullbuster was roused from his deep slumber by a high-pitched squeal. He jerked awake and promptly fell off the couch, crashing to the floor and landing in a heap. He laid there for a couple of seconds, letting out a low groan and waiting for the pain to subside, before sitting up and rubbing his head.

There was only one person he knew who could emit such a shrill sound.

His roommate, Lucy Heartfilia.

Faintly, he could hear the sounds of some show she was watching in the background, but his head was still throbbing, and the only thing he could really hear was the blood rushing in his ears. He glanced up at the blonde—who was crushing a pillow to her chest and leaning towards the television screen from her position on the couch.

He scowled.

Lucy seemed to be totally emerged in whatever she was watching—he'd been watching it with her too before he'd fallen asleep, but his mind was still foggy from his impromptu nap so he couldn't remember what it was. The twenty-five-year-old and leaned his head back against the couch.

Usually, he'd be working at a local garage, as was his norm on Wednesdays, but today was his day off. No fixing cars, changing oil, replacing headlights, or repairing carbonators today—he was _relaxing. _He snorted, thinking about the Masters in psychology degree somewhere in his room. You'd _think _that with all the trouble he'd gone through to get that degree, _someone _would be willing to hire him for a job in his trained and chosen field of profession.

Not so.

And that was why he was currently employed as a grease monkey down at Gajeel's garage.

Sluggishly, he dragged his eyes back to his roommate since freshman year of college. They'd graduated a couple of months before, but they still lived together. It saved money, they didn't mind each other's company, and it saved them both the hassle of trying to find another place to live because there was no way either of them would be able to afford the apartment they shared in the present.

Lucy worked on Wednesdays too, usually, but she'd also been given the day off. Something to do with the double-shift she'd worked the previous night, he figured. The blonde had majored in English while they were in college—it had always been her dream to be a writer—and she'd also taken a few classes in human behavior for fun, but now she worked in a diner as a waitress.

Mainly because she couldn't really make any money if she didn't actually write and sell a book. _'Inspiration, Gray! I have to have inspiration! And it has to be a good idea! I'm not just going to sit down and write a five-hundred page book on magical monkeys and aliens from space!' _she would huff and explain to him.

She made good tips working at Fair Tail, though, so he really couldn't complain—he suspected it had more to do with her looks then her cheery and peppy personality. And there was the fact that he also wasn't using his degree to do anything in life.

You didn't need a Masters in psychology to fix a broken pump valve.

Unfortunately.

"Gray?" Lucy's voice brought him back to reality, and he looked up at her. "What are you doing down there?"

He rolled his eyes. "Sitting."

Her brows furrowed and she paused Netflix. "No but, how did you get down there in the first place? You fell asleep halfway through the episode and the next thing I knew—,"

"You screeched. It was kind of hard not to wake up."

The blonde blinked, lowering the tv remote. "Oh, did I? Sorry, I guess I was just really excited."

"Really. I couldn't tell," Gray deadpanned, and she whacked him lightly on the arm.

Lucy huffed. "Oh shut up! I already apologized. Eren just protected Mikasa and you _know _I ship them like, so hard. So just lighten up, okay?"

Ah, yes. They had been watching his blonde roommate's newest obsession.

Attack on Titan—or as Lucy preferred to call it, Shingeki no Kyojin.

Despite being exhausted from her double-shift, and Gray's predictions that she would sleep half the day away, the blonde had woken up promptly at seven, fixed them both breakfast, taken a shower, got dressed for the day, and settled in to spend the day vegetating on the couch watching tv.

Not that he could really accuse her of being lazy or anything—they both worked hard, and he had days off where he just laid in bed until noon, so to criticize her would be like the pot calling the kettle black.

They would laze around together on the days like this—they weren't usually off at the same time, so time like this was rare, and what Lucy called 'mandatory bonding.' They weren't anything except good friends, but it was still nice to spend time with the blonde every once in a while. And she also liked to ask him to profile the people or characters in whatever show or movie they were watching.

One of her favorite pastimes, he was sure.

Oh the perks of living with a guy who had a degree in studying people.

"Y'know what would be really cool?" Lucy questioned, glancing down at him.

Gray shrugged. "What?"

A wide smile tugged at the corners of her glossy pink lips. "Well, you know how I always ask you to summarize people and stuff? And how you're usually really good at it? I mean, you've gotten it wrong a couple times, but hey, two out of fifteen isn't bad."

He raised a brow, unsure of where she was going with this.

"Anyway," Lucy waved a hand, "I'm usually right about who'll end up with who, and it's not just my shipper tendencies because I realize that sometimes the couples I want to be together, won't. And you're always there to back me when I voice my opinions about it and everything, and we make such a good team because of your psychology knowledge and my sixth sense when it comes to relationships and those classes I took on human behavior and body language."

Gray interlocked his fingers and stretched his arms. "What's your point?"

She gave him a grin. "What I'm saying is, we should start a matchmaking business together."

He froze.

"It'd be fun, think about it! And you know that Mira would totally support this venture! She'd probably be our first client…"

Her dark-haired roommate slowly lowered his arms.

"Like, we could even be super successful! Then we could quit our other jobs! You wouldn't come home smelling like an oil pan and I wouldn't have to wait on pervy guys anymore!" the blonde insisted.

Gray ran a hand through his hair. "It takes money to start a business, Lucy. And time, and money, and actual skills in _managing _a business."

She shot him a sly smile. "You forget who you're talking to, Fullbuster. I may not have _liked _all the business procedure that was forced into me at a young age, but that doesn't mean it didn't stick with me. How do you think I learned to manage money so well?"

He narrowed his eyes at her—the daughter of a once successful and renowned businessman who had acquired a huge empire over a few short years. The Heartfilia Concern may have had its better days, but that didn't mean the blonde didn't know to successfully manage her own business.

She flipped her hair. "I mean, sure my dad wanted to just marry me off to some old wealthy guy, but that doesn't mean he didn't instill some basic business-y principles into me at an early age. Actually, more like drill them into me for sixteen years, but."

Lucy grinned. "So? Come on, Gray! We could make people happy and you could actually use that degree you worked so hard to earn!" she paused, and her eyes sparkled. "I'll cook you three meals a day if you at least _try it. _We'll do a trial run, see if it works, and if not, that's it. We'll go back to our regular lives as a mechanic and a waitress. No harm, no foul."

He sighed. "I'm not going to win this one, am I?"

She raised the remote and pressed play. "Nope."

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"Oh. Oh my gosh! Lucy you're not kidding?!" Mirajane Strauss squealed the next day when Lucy informed her of the situation. The white-haired young woman was a waitress at Fairy Tail too, and she managed the diner for its actual owner.

The blonde smiled and popped out her hip, settling one hand on it. "Nope. Gray agreed. That's why I had to get up at like four-thirty this morning, so I could make him breakfast and pack him a lunch," she paused. "But it'll be worth it."

Mira clasped her hands. "Of course it will, Lucy! Oh I'm so excited for you two!"

Her high-pitched squeal made some of the customers look over in their direction, causing Lucy to blush and hold up her hands. "H-hey! You make it sound like we're getting married or something!"

"Who's getting married?" the stern voice of Erza Scarlet startled them, and they turned to see the scarlet-haired young woman sitting at the bar. "Is it you, Lucy? Have I met him? What's his name? Where does he work? If he hurts you—,"

"Whoa, whoa!" Lucy laughed nervously, throwing her hands up for the second time. "I-it's not like that! I'm not getting married! I'm starting a business with Gray!"

Erza blinked, and any hint of anger vanished. "A business? With Gray? What kind of business?"

Mira swooned. "They're starting a _matchmaking business_, Erza! Isn't it wonderful?!"

The kindergarten teacher sent the blonde a small smile. "That does sound nice, Lucy. Congratulations."

"I want to be your first client!" Mirajane giggled, raising her hand. "Sign me up! I'm ready to get matched!"

Lucy looked at her coworker—also known as a hopeless and slightly overenthusiastic hopeless romantic—and sighed good-naturedly. "Thank you, Mirajane. I want to prove to Gray that we can actually make this work."

"U-um, L-Lucy," the blonde turned to see Erza blushing like a schoolgirl, "c-could you…maybe…s-sign me up as well?"

There was silence at the counter, as both women took in what their old friend had just requested.

Then—

"OH MY GOSH _ERZA_," Mira shouted, grabbing the startled woman's hands, "IT'LL BE SO PERFECT. WE CAN HAVE A DOUBLE WEDDING!"

"W-wait I don't—,"

"OUR CHILDREN WILL BE BEAUTIFUL. I CAN ONLY IMAGINE WHAT THEIR FATHERS WILL LOOK LIKE."

"_Mirajane _I—,"

"ASUKA CAN BE THE FLOWER GIRL AND—,"

Lucy sighed in embarrassment as several nearby patrons shot the three girls bewildered looks. She forced an uncomfortable smile and waved at them from behind the counter.

But inwardly, the blonde herself was screaming as well.

_WELL LOOK AT THAT GRAY. TWO CLIENTS AND IT'S ONLY THE FIRST DAY. WHAT DO YOU THINK NOW, MR. SKEPTICIST? _

She grinned and drew her phone out of her apron pocket. When she turned it on, she noticed a couple messages from her friends, but there was one in particular that caught her eye.

'_Hey Luce! Wanna meet at Fairy Tail for dinner tonight?'_

_I'm already here, though._

She rolled her eyes at her pink-haired best friend and sighed before typing a reply. Natsu would worry if she didn't message him back, and that would not be a pretty sight. So, after typing a quick _'okay, that sounds great' _and sending a quick text to Gray telling him the news, she slipped her phone back into her pocket and turned to her friends.

"_Mirajane,_" Erza growled, "who said _anything _about marriage? We aren't even d-dating anyone yet!"

But the white-haired waitress fantasized on, oblivious to the simmering redhead clenching a fork in her right hand.

Lucy laughed.

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**end notes: **yeah i ship eremika just as hard as lucy but that is beside the point. i wasn't exactly sure how to go about this first chapter, but having fangirl!lucy made it easier. kind of. anyway yeah, natsu will come in next chapter and this story is absolutely _not _graylu so just remember that, okay? thank you.


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